Interconnect system

ABSTRACT

A system for managing connections for optical fibers that extend from a cable comprises a tray and a tray mount. The tray includes a body having at least one tray mount receiver. The tray mount comprises a base that defines an interface for cooperating with the at least one tray mount receiver, and comprises a clamshell tube configured to receive the optical fibers. The clamshell tube is movable between an open position and a closed position. The tray mount is configured couple the optical fibers to the tray without additional tools.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/021,636, filed on Sep. 15, 2020, which claims the benefit of priorityto: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/902,138, filed onSep. 18, 2019; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/018,432,filed on Apr. 30, 2020; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.63/031,987, filed on May 29, 2020. The content of each of theseapplications is fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to optical connectivity, and moreparticularly to an interconnect system having a pre-terminated cablethat establishes optical interconnections with other cables in adaptertrays of a cabinet. The adapter trays include features to facilitate theinterconnections and/or optical fiber routing.

BACKGROUND

Large amounts of data and other information transmitted over theinternet has led businesses and other organizations to develop largescale data centers for organizing, processing, storing, and/ordisseminating large amounts of data. Data centers contain a wide rangeof communication equipment including, for example, servers, networkingswitches, routers, storage subsystems, etc. Data centers further includea large amount of cabling and equipment racks to organize andinterconnect the communication equipment in the data center. Forexample, optical fiber cables and rack-mounted hardware to supportoptical connections are used extensively in data centers. Optical fiberscan support very high bandwidths with lower signal loss compared totraditional data transmission mediums (e.g., copper wires).

The connections between communication equipment in large-scale datacenters is typically not confined to a single building. May modern datacenters include multi-building campuses having, for example, one primaryor main building and a number of auxiliary buildings in close proximityto the main building. All the buildings on the campus are interconnectedby a local fiber optic network. More particularly, each of the auxiliarybuildings are typically connected to the main building by one or morehigh fiber-count optical cables referred to as “trunk cables”. Eachtrunk cable may include thousands of optical fibers. Indeed, fibercounts of 3,456 or higher are now common.

To provide optical connectivity within a building, the optical fibers ofa trunk cable are typically spliced to optical fibers of indoordistribution cables. The splices may be stored and organized in a splicecabinet from which the indoor distribution cables extend. Morespecifically, the splice cabinet holds numerous splice trays that eachreceives a group of optical fibers from the trunk cable that have beenspliced to a group of optical fibers associated with the indoordistribution cables. Fusion splicing is commonly used as the primarytechnique for splicing the two groups of optical fibers together beforethe splices are stored and organized in the splice trays. The indoordistribution cables exit the splice cabinet and extend to desiredlocations within the building, such as to designated rows of equipmentracks. Connections to the communication equipment in the equipment racksare ultimately made by the indoor distribution cables or cables that arepart of a structured cabling system for the building.

The amount of labor and time for connecting a trunk cable to thecommunication equipment in the main building on a data center campus issignificant. In a typical installation process, it may take twotechnicians approximately two weeks to fusion splice the optical fibersof a trunk cable to corresponding internal optical fibers of the mainbuilding. Additionally, fusion splicing is a labor-intensive method forconnecting optical fibers that is typically performed under fieldconditions, as opposed to under more highly controlled factoryconditions. Thus, the quality of the splicing and the attenuation of theoptical signal through the splice may vary widely depending on the fieldtechnicians' skill and experience.

Furthermore, the optical fibers from the trunk cable and the internaloptical fibers are typically coupled to the splice tray by a cinch inorder to keep the optical fibers organized at or within the tray. Forexample, in a conventional approach a zip tie or other suitable cabletie wraps around a portion of the tray and the optical fibers to secureand maintain control of the optical fibers entering/exiting the splicetray. In some cases, the field technicians that install the trunk cablesin the splice cabinets overtighten the cinches and thereby degrade theoptical signals at the pinch point of the cinches. A simplified, moreuniform approach is therefore desired.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of adapter trays (“trays”) and interconnect systemsincluding such trays are provided in this disclosure. The interconnectsystems may involve high fiber-count cables that carry many opticalfiber ribbons, with the trays being used to establish interconnectionsto the optical fiber ribbons, which may be pre-terminated.

For example, according to one embodiment, an interconnect system for abuilding includes a pre-terminated trunk cable assembly configured toextend into the building, a cabinet, and a plurality of trays disposedwithin the cabinet for managing interconnections within the building.The pre-terminated trunk cable assembly comprises a cable jacket, aplurality of subunits within the cable jacket, and a furcation bodyassociated with a first end of the cable jacket. Each subunit includes asubunit jacket and different groups of optical fibers carried within thesubunit jacket. The “different groups” refers to distinct groupings ofthe optical fibers, but the groupings themselves may be the same interms of number of optical fibers, type of optical fibers, etc. Each ofthe different groups may comprise an optical fiber ribbon, for example.Additionally, each subunit of the plurality of subunits includes an endsection extending from the furcation body and the first end of the cablejacket. Each of the end sections includes the different groups ofoptical fibers of the associated subunit extending from the associatedsubunit jacket. The pre-terminated trunk cable assembly also includes aplurality of ferrules each respectively terminating one or more groupsof the different groups of optical fibers. Each tray of the plurality oftrays includes a body and a plurality of adapters disposed on the bodyfor receiving the plurality of ferrules. The body includes an inlet endfor receiving a select subunit of the plurality of subunits, and theinlet end has at least one tray mount receiver. A plurality of traymounts are configured to be assembled on the plurality of subunits. Eachtray mount of the plurality of tray mounts includes an interface forcooperating with the at least one tray mount receiver so that that thetray mount can couple the select subunit to a corresponding tray of theplurality of trays without additional tools.

In some embodiments, the plurality of adapters on the tray body arearranged adjacent to each other in a direction along the longitudinalaxis. Each adapter of the plurality of adapters includes a firstopening, a second opening opposite the first opening, and an opticalaxis extending between the first opening and the second opening. Eachadapter is arranged such that the optical axis is non-perpendicular tothe longitudinal axis of the corresponding tray. And for each tray ofthe plurality of trays, the different groups of optical fibers of theselect subunit each extend from the inlet end to the distal end, curveat the distal end so as to extend back toward the inlet end, form a loopto extend back toward the distal end, and then curve back toward theinlet end before extending to a corresponding adapter of the pluralityadapters. Adapter/fiber routing arrangements like are possible inembodiments with or without tray mount receivers on the trays and traymounts assembled on the subunits.

Additional features and advantages will be set out in the descriptionthat follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe technical field of optical connectivity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiment(s), andtogether with the description serve to explain principles and operationof the various embodiments. Features and attributes associated with anyof the embodiments shown or described may be applied to otherembodiments shown, described, or appreciated based on this disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a data center campusinterconnected according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one example of a trunk cable used inthe data center campus of FIG. 1 to interconnect buildings.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one example of an indoor cable usedwithin buildings of the data center campus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an end portion of the trunk cable of FIG.2 having subunits pre-terminated with ferrules.

FIG. 5 is a close-up schematic view of the ferrules associated with twoof the subunits in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective of the trunk cable of FIG. 2 stored on a cablereel and a pulling grip assembly (“pulling grip”) covering the endportion of the trunk cable of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one example of a distribution cabinetused in the data center campus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one example of a tray that is used tostore optical connections in the distribution cabinet of FIG. 7.

FIG. 8A is a close-up perspective view of an adapter used on the tray ofFIG. 8 to establish optical connections.

FIG. 9 is top-down view of a tray in accordance with another embodimentof the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a front portion of the trayshown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is another enlarged perspective view of a front portion of thetray shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a connection joint between opticalfibers of an indoor cable and optical fibers of a subunit of a trunkcable in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another connection joint betweenoptical fibers of an indoor cable and optical fibers of a subunit of atrunk cable in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 14 is top-down view of a tray in accordance with another embodimentof the disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a side elevation view of the tray shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of the tray shown in FIG. 14,illustrating how the tray is configured to receive fiber optic adapters.

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view of a tray mount for a subunit of atrunk cable according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a top perspective view of the tray mount shown in FIG. 17,illustrating the tray mount in a closed position.

FIG. 19 is similar to FIG. 18, but illustrates the tray mount in an openposition.

FIG. 20 is a top perspective view illustrating a subunit being receivedin the tray mount when the tray mount is in the open position.

FIG. 21 is a schematic end view of the optical fibers of a subunitextending in the tray mount of FIG. 17 when the tray mount is in aclosed position.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the tray of FIG. 14, schematicallyillustrating the tray being used to establish interconnections betweenoptical fibers of a subunit and optical fibers of an indoor cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be clarified by examples in the descriptionbelow. In general, the description relates to trays for managinginterconnections between two cables that each include optical fibersterminated by ferrules (e.g., as part of optical connectors or asstandalone components not part of optical connectors). The trays areparticularly suited for interconnect systems where one of the cables isa high fiber-count trunk cable configured to extend into a building(e.g., of a data center), and the other cable is an indoor distributioncable for the building. The trays may facilitate organizing andsupporting the cables and their associated interconnections such that alarge number of the interconnections can be easily established, managed,and ultimately stored in a confined space, such as within a cabinet.

To facilitate discussion and provide context, an exemplary environmentand use for high fiber-count cables will first be described. Adescription of an example pre-terminated cable assembly that uses a highfiber-count cable will then follow. Finally, example interconnectsystems and methods will be described, with such systems and methodsinvolving trays for managing interconnections to the examplepre-terminated cable assembly.

Example Environment (Data Center Cable Network)

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a modern-day data center 10 may include acollection of buildings (referred to as a data center campus) having,for example, a main building 12 and one or more auxiliary buildings 14in close proximity to the main building 12. While three auxiliarybuildings are shown, there may be more or less depending on the size ofthe campus. The data center 10 provides for a local fiber optic network16 that interconnects the auxiliary buildings 14 with the main building12. The local fiber optic network 16 allows communication equipment 18in the main building 12 to communicate with various communicationequipment (not shown) in the auxiliary buildings 14. In the exemplaryembodiment shown, the local fiber optic network 16 includes trunk cables20 extending between the main building 12 and each of the auxiliarybuildings 14.

The trunk cables 20 may be similar to any of the cables described inInternational Patent Application Publication No. WO 2019/010291 A1 (“the'291 publication”), the disclosure of which is fully incorporated hereinby reference. Thus, although a brief description of one of the trunkcables 20 is provided below to introduce aspects related to thisdisclosure, reference can be made to the '291 publication for anunderstanding of other aspects and variations.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, an example one of the trunk cables 20generally includes a high fiber-count arrangement of optical fibers 24(e.g., 3,456 or more optical fibers) for passing data and otherinformation through the local fiber optic network 16. The trunk cable 20includes a plurality of subunits 22, and each subunit 22 is configuredto carry a pre-selected number of optical fibers 24. Although the trunkcable 20 is shown as including twelve subunits 22, the number ofsubunits 22 may be more or less than this number in alternativeembodiments. The subunits 22 may be arranged within an outer protectivesheath 26 (also referred to as “outer cable jacket 26” or simply “cablejacket 26” or “outer jacket 26”), as is generally known in the industry.As mentioned above, each of the subunits 22 is configured to carry apre-selected number of optical fibers 24. By way of example and withoutlimitation, each subunit 22 may be configured to carry 144 or 288optical fibers 24. It should be recognized, however, that more or lessoptical fibers 24 may be carried by each of the subunits 22.

The optical fibers 24 in the subunits 22 may be arranged in differentgroups (i.e., distinct groupings, even though the groupings may have thesame number of optical fibers 24). As an example, the optical fibers 24may be configured as a plurality of optical fiber ribbons 28 (“ribbons28”). Each ribbon 28 includes a plurality of the optical fibers 24arranged in a generally side-by-side manner (e.g., a linear array, asshown, or a rolled/folded array). Such ribbons are generally known andthus will not be described further in this disclosure. Each ribbon 28may include, for example, eight, twelve, sixteen, or any other number ofthe optical fibers 24. The ribbons 28 of a subunit 22 may be arrangedwithin a subunit sheath 30 (“subunit jacket 30”), which may be a thinlayer of material that has been extruded over the ribbons 28.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the trunk cables 20 from theauxiliary buildings 14 are routed to a distribution cabinet 32 (alsoreferred to as “distribution enclosure 32”) housed in the main building12. In alternative embodiments, there may be multiple distributioncabinets 32 in the main building for receiving the trunk cables 20.Thus, there may be one or more distribution cabinets 32.

Within the main building 12, a plurality of indoor fiber optic cables 34(“indoor cables 34”) are routed between the communication equipment 18and the one or more distribution cabinets 32. In an exemplary embodimentand as illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the indoor cables 34 may beconfigured similar to the subunits 22, at least in terms of fiber countand fiber groupings, and thereby be configured to carry a pre-selectednumber of optical fibers 36. By way of example and without limitation,each indoor cable 34 may be configured to carry 144 or 288 of theoptical fibers 36. It should be recognized, however, that more or lessoptical fibers 36 may be carried by each of the indoor cables 34.

Similar to the optical fibers 24 of the subunits 22, the optical fibers36 in the indoor cables 34 may be configured as a plurality of opticalfiber ribbons 38 (“ribbons 38”). Thus, each ribbon 38 may include aplurality of optical fibers 36 arranged in a generally side-by-sidemanner (e.g., in a linear array or in a rolled/folded array). Again,such ribbons 38 are generally known in and thus will not be describedfurther in this disclosure. Each ribbon 38 may include, for example,eight, twelve, sixteen, or any other number of the optical fibers 36.The ribbons 38 of an indoor cable 34 may be arranged within an outerprotective sheath 40 (also referred to as “cable outer jacket 40” orsimply “cable jacket 40”), as is generally known in the industry.

Although only the interior of the main building 12 is schematicallyshown in FIG. 4 and discussed above, each of the auxiliary buildings 14may house similar equipment for similar purposes. Thus, although notshown, each of the trunk cables 20 may be routed to one or moredistribution cabinets 32 in one of the auxiliary buildings 14 in amanner similar to that described above. Furthermore, each of theauxiliary buildings 14 may include indoor cables 34 that extend betweencommunication equipment 18 and the one or more distribution cabinets 32of the auxiliary building 14.

Example Pre-Terminated Cable Assembly

In accordance with an aspect of this disclosure, at least one of thetrunk cables 20 extending between buildings 12, 14 and at least some ofthe indoor cables 34 within the buildings 12, 14 may be pre-terminated.That is, at least one of the trunk cables 20 has at least one end wherethe optical fibers 24 of that that trunk cable 20 are terminated by aconnection interface prior to being sent out into the field forinstallation in the local fiber optic network 16. Likewise, at leastsome of the indoor cables 34 (e.g., those intended to be coupled to thesubunits 22 of the trunk cable(s) 20 that are pre-terminated) have atleast one end where the optical fibers 36 are terminated by a connectioninterface prior to being sent out into the field for installation in thelocal fiber optic network 16. The terminations of the trunk cable(s) 20and indoor cables 34 may instead occur during their respectivemanufacture (i.e., as part of a cable assembly manufacturing process).Thus, the word “pre-terminated” is used in this disclosure to refer toterminations that take place by the manufacturer of resulting cableassembly, prior to deployment to customers, customer sites, etc. (“thefield”).

As used in this disclosure, “connection interface” refers to an opticalconnector, optical connector sub-assembly, or one or more opticalconnector components, such as ferrules, that facilitate coupling of theoptical fibers on which they are installed to other optical fibers thatare terminated with a same or different connector interface. In oneembodiment, for example, the trunk cables 20 may be pre-terminated witha plurality of ferrules. Each ribbon 28 may be terminated with arespective ferrule, such as 12-fiber ribbons each being terminated witha respective 12-fiber MT ferrule. Alternatively, groups of two or moreribbons 28 may be terminated with the same ferrule, such as groups oftwo 12-fiber ribbons each being terminated with a respective 24-fiber MTferrule. There does not need to be a connector housing (also referred tosimply as a “housing”, or as “connector body” or simply “body”)receiving the ferrule. It may just be the ferrule terminating thegroup(s) of optical fibers, or just the ferrule and components otherthan a connector housing such that the connection interface itself issomething less than an optical connector. As is known in the industry,optical connectors are designed provide two primary functions: alignmentof optical fibers for optical coupling, and mechanical retention tomaintain that alignment. A ferrule is typically the primary componentfor optical alignment purposes, and the connector housing is typicallythe primary component for retention purposes since it typically includesa coupling mechanism (e.g., a latch feature for cooperating with acomplementary latching feature of an adapter).

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an end portion 112 of one of the trunkcables 20 pre-terminated with a plurality of the ferrules 42 to form apre-terminated trunk cable 110. The termination involves not only theinstallation of ferrules 42, but also preparing the end portion 112 ofthe trunk cable 20 for such installation. To this end, thepre-terminated trunk cable 110 includes a furcation body 114 associatedwith a first end 116 of the cable jacket 26. For example, the furcationbody 114 may be installed on the first end 116 such that the cablejacket 26 ends within the furcation body 114. The furcation body 114represents a “breakout”, “branching”, or “fanout” point on the trunkcable, as end sections 118 of the subunits 22 extend from the furcationbody 114 and beyond the first end 116 of the cable jacket 26 so that thesubunits 22 have more freedom to spread out. Various types of furcationbodies are known. In the embodiment shown, the furcation body 114comprises a shell positioned on or near the first end 116 of the cablejacket 26 and polymer material filling the shell. The polymer materialmay be a cured adhesive, such as epoxy, so that the shell is secured tothe cable jacket 26 and the subunit jackets 30. In alternativeembodiments, the furcation body 114 may have a different constructionand/or be secured to the trunk cable 20 in a different manner.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the end sections 118 of the subunits22 each include the associated subunit jacket 30 extending a certainlength from the furcation body 114, and the associated group of opticalfibers 24 extending a certain length from (i.e., beyond) the associatedsubunit jacket 30. For convenience, only a representative ribbon 28 andrepresentative ferrule 42 is schematically shown for each subunit 22 inFIG. 4. A close-up of the representative ribbon 28 and representativeferrule 42 for two of the subunits 22 is schematically shown in FIG. 5.As mentioned above, each subunit 22 may actually include a plurality ofribbons 28, such as twelve ribbons 28 that each have twelve opticalfibers 24 (144 fiber count per subunit 22), twenty-four ribbons 28 thateach have twelve optical fibers 24 (288 fiber count per subunit 22), orthe like.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the end sections 118 of the subunits 22 aregrouped in pairs, with the end sections 118 of a given pair havingsubstantially the same length. For example, the lowermost pair in FIG. 4includes the subunit jackets 30 extending a length L1 from the furcationbody 114, and the optical fibers 24 extending a length L2 from thesubunit jacket 30. The total length of the end section 118 (i.e., L1+L2)may be referred to as the “leg length”. The different pairs of endsections 118 have different leg lengths to provide a staggeredarrangement of the ferrules 42. This staggering allows thepre-terminated trunk cable 110 to be placed within a smaller pullinggrip/sock (compared to if there were no staggering), and therefore, fitwithin smaller ducts or the like.

In FIG. 4, each successive group of end sections 118 has a leg lengththat is a distance D longer than the leg length of the preceding group.Thus, each group of end sections 118 is D longer than the previous groupsuch that there is substantially uniform (i.e., uniform or intended tobe uniform) staggering of the different groups of the ferrules 42. Inalternative embodiments, the staggering may be non-uniform. Thedifferent leg lengths may be due to the subunit jackets 30 extendingfurther from the furcation body 114. Thus, the length L2 that theoptical fibers 24 extend beyond the corresponding subunit jacket 30 mayremain substantially the same (i.e., the same or intended to be thesame). A consistent length of exposed ribbons 28 may allow consistentprocessing by the manufacturer of the pre-terminated trunk cable 110when terminating the optical fibers 24. In other words, terminationprocesses may be based on a certain exposed length of each ribbon 28(e.g., for fixtures, stripping equipment, etc.). When that length isprovided, the termination processes may be performed in a repeatablemanner. Alternative embodiments without consistent lengths of exposedribbons 28 are nevertheless within the scope of this disclosure as well.

FIG. 6 illustrates the pre-terminated trunk cable 110 on a reel 170 andan example of a pulling grip assembly 172 (also referred to as “pullinggrip 172” or “pulling sock 170”) installed over an end portion of thepre-terminated trunk cable 110 (e.g., the end portion 112 represented inFIG. 7). The pulling grip 172 covers all of the ferrules 42 associatedwith the end portion 112. It has already been mentioned how thestaggering of the ferrules 42 can help minimize the footprint of thepulling grip 172. For a given pulling grip design, the maximumwidth/diameter can be less than what it would need to be to accommodatethe trunk cable 20 being pre-terminated with assemblies considered to beoptical connectors. Additional details of the pulling grip 172 need notbe discussed for the purpose of this disclosure. FIG. 6 is merelyprovided for context to show how the pre-terminated trunk cable 80 maybe delivered to an intended site of installation, such as the datacenter 10 (FIG. 1). At the site of installation, the pre-terminatedtrunk cable 110 is ultimately installed and used as part of aninterconnect system. An example installation of such an interconnectsystem for the data center 10 will now be described.

Example Interconnect System

FIG. 7 illustrates one possible embodiment for the distribution cabinets32 mentioned above in connection with FIG. 4. The distribution cabinet32 may be similar to embodiments described in PCT Patent ApplicationPublication Nos. WO 2019/079460 A1 (“the '460 publication”) and WO2019/079425 A1 (“the '425 publication”), the disclosures of which offully incorporated herein by reference. Indeed, FIG. 7 generallycorresponds to FIG. 1 of the '425 publication such that reference can bemade to the '425 publication for a more complete understanding ofaspects not discussed below. Only a brief overview is provided belowbefore focusing on differences from the '425 publication that arespecific to this disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7, the distribution cabinet 32 includes various wallsthat are assembled together to define an interior volume 178. Inparticular, the distribution cabinet 32 includes a rear wall 180, afirst side wall 182 and a second side wall 184 coupled to opposite sidesof the rear wall 180, and a lower wall 186 and an upper wall 188respectively coupled to a top and bottom of each of the rear wall 180,the first side wall 182, and the second side wall 184. A front door 190is pivotally coupled to the first side wall 182 (e.g., by hinges 192) toprovide selective access to the interior volume 178. The distributioncabinet 32 also includes a tray assembly 194 within the interior volume178 that comprises a tray housing 196 (or “carriage 196”) pivotallycoupled to the distribution cabinet 32 and a plurality of trays 198coupled to the tray housing 196. The tray housing 196 may pivot/rotateoutward from the interior volume 178 to facilitate access to the trays198. The trays 198 themselves may pivot or otherwise move relative tothe tray housing 196 (including being removable from the tray housing196) to provide additional access to any given tray 198.

The '425 publication refers to the trays 198 as “splice trays” becausethey are intended to store fusion splice joints between the opticalfibers of two different cables. Because the present disclosure relatesto pre-terminated cables rather than ones that require splicing, themore generic term “distribution tray” or simply “tray” is used. Thetrays 198 are still intended to store joints between the optical fibersof two different cables, but the joints are in the form connectioninterfaces that are mated (i.e., coupled) together using respectiveadapters. The trays 198 may therefore be referred to as “adapter trays198” or “patch trays 198” and the distribution cabinet 32 as a “patchcabinet 32” or “patch enclosure 32”.

FIG. 8 illustrates a possible embodiment for a representative one of thetrays 198. As shown in FIG. 8, the tray 198 includes a series or bank ofthe adapters 44 coupled to the tray 198. Any common grouping andmounting of the adapters 44 may be considered as an adapter panel forthe purpose of this disclosure. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, theadapters 44 are commonly mounted in a support 202 that, in turn, ismounted to the tray 198. The support 202 with the adapters 44 may beconsidered as an adapter panel, or more generally the tray 198 assembledwith the adapters 44 may be considered as an adapter panel. Indeed, inalternative embodiments, the adapters 44 may be mounted to the tray 198individually instead of by way of a common support. Embodiments of“ganged” adapters (not shown) mounted to the tray 198 are also possible.

FIG. 8 illustrates the adapters 44 in the form of MPO-type adapters(e.g., according to IEC 61754-7-2: 2019 or TIA/EIA 604-5-F: 2019) forconvenience, with dust plugs/covers 46 on opposite sides of the adapters44. This can best be appreciated from FIG. 8A, which is a close-up viewof an example adapter 44. Thus, the connection interfaces on the cablesintended to be mated using the adapter 44 (e.g., the trunk cable 20 andan indoor cable 34 in FIG. 1) may be MPO-type connectors (not shown).MPO adapters and connectors are well-known in the industry and need notbe described in further detail. It is known, for example, how a pair ofmating MPO connectors and the associated adapter used for that matingcollectively form a connection joint between different groups of opticalfibers.

Other embodiments of the tray 198 may include other standard ornon-standard types of adapters. For example, embodiments will bedescribed below in connection with FIGS. 9-12 for mating MT ferrulesthat are not part of MPO connectors. These types of adapters aretherefore particularly suited for the pre-terminated trunk cable 110described above. Embodiments are also possible involving adaptersconfigured to mate two different connection interfaces, such as matingan MPO connector to just an MT ferrule or to a sub-assembly thatincludes an MT ferrule (with the sub-assembly not being an opticalconnector). One example of such an adapter is shown in U.S. PatentApplication Pub. No. 2004/0101253, and another schematic example of suchan adapter is provided later in this disclosure in connection with FIG.13. These types of adapters are also particularly suited for thepre-terminated trunk cable 110 described above.

As can be appreciated, the type of adapter used on the tray 198 dependson the type of connection interface of the cables to be interconnected.Thus, although the remainder of this section will refer to the tray 198and adapters 44 being used with the pre-terminated trunk cable 110, thisis merely to facilitate discussion. Together, the trunk cable 20 thathas been pre-terminated with connection interfaces and the distributioncabinet 32 with its adapter panels (e.g., trays 198) define aninterconnect system. This section merely introduces the generalprinciples of such an interconnect system.

With this in mind, and now referring collectively to FIGS. 1 and 5-7,the pre-terminated trunk cable 110 may be routed from one building (mainbuilding 12 or auxiliary building 14) to another in the data center 10.This may involve using the pulling grip 172 to pull the pre-terminatedtrunk cable 110 through ducts that extend into and out of the buildings,and possibly between the buildings. Ultimately the end portion 112 thatincludes the pulling grip 172 may be routed into the interior volume 178of the distribution cabinet 32. Various features may be provided in thedistribution cabinet 32 to assist with receiving the pre-terminatedtrunk cable 110. Although FIG. 7 illustrates a transparent rear plate210 without openings as a rear portion of the upper wall 188, such aplate may include different sized openings for different types ofcables. For example, there may be openings sized to receive the larger,high fiber-count pre-terminated trunk cables 110, and openings sized toreceive the relative smaller fiber-count indoor cables 34. A front plate212 defining a front portion of the upper wall 188 may also be removableto assist with accessing the pre-terminated trunk cable 110 and othercables as they are routed into the distribution cabinet 32 (e.g.,through the openings in the rear plate 210, if present). Additionally,the distribution cabinet 32 may include brackets 216 below the rearplate 210 that serve as mounting locations for the pre-terminated trunkcable 110 and other cables. Apertures 218 or other mounting features maybe provided on the brackets 216 for cooperating with complementarymounting features of clips (not shown), which may be integral with thecables (e.g., part of the furcation body 114) or mounted to the cables.

Ultimately the pulling grip 172 is removed from the pre-terminated trunkcable 110 to expose the end sections 118 (FIG. 5) of the subunits 22.This may be done before or after securing the pre-terminated trunk cable110 to the brackets 216. Regardless, having routed the end portion 112into the distribution cabinet 32 using the pulling grip 172, the endsections 118 of the subunits 22 are positioned close the trays 198. Thismay help minimize the amount of further routing or handling of thepre-terminated trunk cable 110 after the pulling grip 172 is removed,thereby reducing the potential for damage that results from sections ofthe ribbons 28 now being exposed (the end portions of the optical fibers24 that extend from the associated subunit jackets 26).

The connection of each subunit 28 of the pre-terminated trunk cable 110to the corresponding indoor cable 34 generally takes place in acorresponding one of the trays 198. For example, FIG. 8 may representthe tray 198 associated with the connection between one of the subunits22 and a corresponding indoor cable 34. When it is desired to make thatconnection, the tray 198 is accessed from the tray assembly 194. Eachconnection interface of the subunit 22 (described above as being onlyferrules 42, but could be complete MPO connectors) may be inserted intoa corresponding one of the adapters 44 after removing one of the dustplugs 46 from the adapter 44. Similarly, each connection interface(possibly a complete MPO connector that includes a ferrule 42) of theindoor cable 34 is inserted into an opposite side of a corresponding oneof the adapters 44 after removing the other dust plug 46 of the adapter44. By this time the indoor cable 34 has been routed into thedistribution cabinet 32 in a manner similar to the pre-terminated trunkcable 80. The adapters 44 align and hold the connection interfacestogether to allow light to travel between the optical fibers 24 of thesubunit 22 and the optical fibers 36 of the indoor cable 24. The tray198 including the adapters 44 may then be moved back to a storageposition in the tray housing 196, and the process repeated for adifferent subunit 22, tray 198, and indoor cable 34.

Alternative Tray Designs

Now that the concept of the interconnect system has been generallyintroduced, the specific embodiments alluded to above will be described.As mentioned above, these embodiments involve trays with adaptersconfigured to receive MT ferrules that are not part of MPO connectorsand, therefore, are particularly suited for the pre-terminated trunkcable 110 and similar pre-terminated trunk cables.

To this end, an alternative embodiment of a tray 54 in accordance withan aspect of the disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 9 and includes anoblong body 56 having a first, inlet end 58 and a second, closed end 60(“distal end 60”). The inlet end 58 is configured to receive opticalfibers 24 from the trunk cable 20 and optical fibers 36 from the indoorcables 34 that are configured to be connected within the tray 54. In oneembodiment, the inlet end 58 may be generally tapered such that theinlet end 58 has a width that is less than the width of more distalportions of the body 56, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Other configurations,however, are possible. The distal end 60 helps contain the opticalfibers 24, 36 within the tray 54, and in one embodiment may be generallyarcuate in shape. Again, other configurations are possible.

The tray body 56 defines a base wall 62 and one or more peripheral sidewalls 64 that collectively define an interior cavity 66 for holding theoptical fibers 24, 36. The cavity 66 and/or walls 62, 64 include anumber of organizing and guide elements 68. These may take the form ofvarious flaps, arched walls, bosses, etc. and facilitate the routing ofoptical fibers in the tray 54. Such elements 68 are generally known inthe art. The base wall 62 includes a connection region 70 where theoptical fibers 24 from the trunk cable 20 and the optical fibers 36 fromthe indoor cables 34 are optically connected together in a manner morefully described below.

The connection region 70 includes one or more generally rectangularconnection plates 72 attached to the base wall 62, such as by bonding,fasteners, etc., and extending in a generally longitudinal direction ofthe tray 54. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the connectionregion 70 of the tray 54 may include two such connection plates 72having a small gap therebetween. It should be realized that theconnection region 70 may include more or less connection plates 72 invarious alternative embodiments. Each connection plate 72 furtherincludes a plurality of spaced-apart support walls 74 extending awayfrom an upper surface 76 of the connection plate 72, such as in aperpendicular arrangement. The spaces adjacent to or between supportwalls 74 define open-ended bays 78 for receiving the pre-terminated endsof the optical fibers 24, 36 of the trunk cable 20 and the indoor cables34, respectively. The bays 78 are shown as being numbered in FIG. 9. Asshown in this figure, each connection plate 72 may include twelvesupport walls 74 and twelve corresponding bays 78 for making an opticalconnection. It should be appreciated, however, that there may be more orless support walls 74/bays 78 in various alternative embodiments.

To facilitate the routing of optical fibers 24, 36 into the bays 78 ofthe connection plates 72, the tray 54 may further include a plurality ofguide walls 80 extending from the base wall 62 adjacent the side edgesof the connection plates 72. The number of guide walls 80 on each sideof the connection plates 72 may generally relate to the number ofsupport walls 74 and bays 78 associated with the connection plates 72(e.g., one guide wall 80 for every two support walls 74). Thus, in anexemplary embodiment and as illustrated in FIG. 9, the tray 54 mayinclude seven guide walls 80 on both sides of the connection plates 72.Again, this number may vary. The guide walls 80 may further be angledrelative to the support walls 74 depending on, for example, how theoptical fibers 24, 36 are organized within the tray 54. In oneembodiment, the guide walls 80 are inclined (e.g., angled upwardly inFIG. 9 toward distal end 60) relative to the support walls 74. It shouldbe recognized, however, that other orientations of the guide walls 80are possible to support the routing of the optical fibers 24, 36 (orribbons 28, 38) into the bays 78 on the connection plates 72.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, the optical fibers 24,36 that are routed to the tray 54 may be secured to the tray 54, andmore particularly to the inlet end 58 of the tray 54, in an improvedmanner. The optical fibers 24, 36 are typically brought into the tray 54in some form of “cable” arrangement and not as individual optical fibers(or individual groups of optical fibers). In other words, the opticalfibers 24, 36 are typically carried in an outer protective sheath. Forexample, the optical fibers 24 of the trunk cable 20 may be routed to atray 54 in the form of a subunit 22 (including its subunit jacket 30;see FIG. 4). Similarly, the optical fibers 36 may be routed to the tray54 in the form of an indoor cable 34 having its outer protective sheath40. Thus, the subunit 22 and the indoor cable 34 represent respective“cable” arrangements of the individual optical fibers 24, 36. Inaccordance with this aspect of the disclosure, the subunit 22 and theindoor cable 34 may be coupled to the inlet end 58 of the tray 54.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, any subunit 22 of the trunk cable 20 mayinclude a pre-assembled tray mount 88 adjacent the pre-terminated end ofthe subunit 22 for coupling the subunit 22 to a respective tray 54. Theindoor cable 34 to be associated with the subunit 22 may likewiseinclude a pre-assembled tray mount 88 adjacent a terminated end thereof(e.g., see the indoor cable 34 in FIG. 11). Thus, although FIG. 10 willbe described primarily with reference to the subunit 22 that is shown,the aspects relating to the tray mount 88 may equally apply to an indoorcable 34.

The tray mount 88 is configured to be incorporated with the subunit 22in a factory setting and thereby benefit from high-quality andrepeatable processes. In other words, by “pre-assembled” it is meantthat the tray mount 88 is coupled to the subunit 22 (or indoor cable 34)prior to the trunk cable 20 being sent out into the field forinstallation in the local fiber optic network 16. For example, the traymounts 88 may be coupled to the subunits 22 during the manufacture ofthe trunk cable 20. In an exemplary embodiment, the tray mount 88includes: a) a collar 90 configured to be disposed about the subunitjacket 30 of the subunit 22 (or protective sheath 40 of the indoor cable34), and b) a connecting element 92 coupled to the collar 90 andgenerally extending therefrom. The connecting element 92 is configuredto engage with a tray mount receiver 94 on the tray 54, as discussed inmore detail below.

In one embodiment, the collar 90 may be generally ring-shaped or tubularand may be fitted over the end of the subunit 22 or indoor cable 34,such as prior to the fiber optic ribbons 28, 38 being terminated.Subsequently, the collar 90 may be secured to the subunit jacket 30 ofthe subunit 22 or the outer protective sheath 40 of the indoor cable 34,such as by bonding or other fastening methods. For example, in anexemplary embodiment, the collar 90 may be secured to the subunit22/indoor cable 34 by heat shrink material. In an alternativeembodiment, the collar 90 may have a split design (not shown) thatallows the collar 90 to be positioned over the subunit 22/indoor cable34 by passing the subunit 22/indoor cable 34 through a slot in thecollar 90. The collars 90 on the subunits 22 of the trunk cable 20 andpreferably on the indoor cables 34 may be positioned in pre-determinedlocations relative to the terminated ends of the subunits 22/indoorcables 34 based on, for example, the desired length of optical fiber 24,36 (e.g., ribbons 28, 38) within the trays 54.

As mentioned above, the connecting element 92 extends outwardly from thecollar 90 and is configured to engage with a tray mount receiver 94 onthe tray 54. Thus, the connecting element 92 defines an interface forcooperating with the tray mount receiver 94. The connecting element 92may take a wide variety of forms including various clips, buttons,hooks, posts, or other snap-on fasteners that allow the subunit22/indoor cable 34 to quickly but securely connect to the tray 54. Theconnecting element 92 may be rigid or may be resilient. Furthermore, theconnecting element 92 may be configured to couple to and release fromthe tray 54 multiple times (i.e., not a single-use connection). By wayof example, this may be achieved through push/pull forces being imposedon the collar 90.

As described above, the subunit 22 and the indoor cable 34 may besecured to the tray 54 at the inlet end 58 thereof. Accordingly, thetray 54 may include one or more tray mount receivers 94 adjacent theinlet end 58 of the tray 54 for making a positive connection with thetray mounts 88. Similar to the above, the tray mount receiver 94 maytake a wide variety of forms including various clips, buttons, hooks,posts, or other snap-on fasteners that are configured to cooperate withthe tray mounts 88 on the subunits 22/indoor cables 34. In an exemplaryembodiment, the tray mount receivers 94 may include one or moreapertures 96 adjacent the inlet end 58 of the distribution tray 54. Byway of example and without limitation, the tray 54 may include aU-shaped bracket 98 adjacent the inlet end 58 having an upper wall 100spaced from the base wall 62 of the tray 54. The upper wall 100 mayinclude one or more apertures 96 (or another form of the tray mountreceiver 94) disposed therein for receiving a tray mount 88.

In an exemplary embodiment, the bracket 98 may include two tray mountreceivers 94, one for the tray mount 88 of the subunit 22 and one forthe tray mount 88 of the indoor cable 34. Of course, the bracket 98 mayinclude additional tray mount receivers 94. The bracket 98 is configuredto receive the tray mount 88 in a manner that prevents a portion of thetray mount 88 from extending beyond the base wall 62 when coupled to atray mount receiver 94. This prevents or limits the number of catch orsnag points associated with the tray 54. Furthermore, the inlet end 58of the tray 54 may include additional tray mount receivers 92. Forexample, and as illustrated in FIG. 10, the side wall 64 of the tray 54adjacent the inlet end 58 may include tray mount receivers 94, such asapertures 96, for receiving tray mounts 88 on the subunit 22 and/or theindoor cable 34. The tray mount receivers 94 on the side walls 64 mayhave an orientation different than the orientation of the tray mountreceivers 94 in the bracket 98.

Prior to installation of the local fiber optic network 16 at the datacenter 10, the subunits 22 of the trunk cable 20 are pre-terminated withthe connection interfaces (e.g., ferrules, connectors, etc.) and includepre-assembled tray mounts 88. The indoor cables 34 may similarly bepre-terminated with connection interfaces (e.g., ferrules, connectors,etc.) and include pre-assembled tray mounts 88 as well. Duringinstallation, and as described above, the subunits 22 of the trunk cable20 and the indoor cables 34 are routed to the distribution cabinet 32 inone of the buildings (e.g., the main building 12 or one of the auxiliarybuildings 14) of the data center 10. For example, the trunk cable 20 isrouted through conduit extending between buildings of the data center10. A field technician will then select one of the subunits 22 of thetrunk cable 20 and an indoor cable 34 for connection in a select one ofthe trays 54 housed in the cabinet 32. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, theinitial steps for carrying out this connection may include removing theselected tray 54 from the tray housing 196 (FIG. 7) in the cabinet 32,locating the pre-assembled tray mounts 88 on the selected subunit 22 andthe selected indoor cable 34, and engaging the tray mounts 88 on thesubunit 22 and indoor cable 34 to respective tray mount receivers 94adjacent the inlet end 58 of the tray 54. For example, the projectingportion of the connecting element 92 may be inserted through an aperture96 in the bracket 98 or side wall 64 on the tray 54. The optical fibers24, 36 generally, and the fiber optic ribbons 28, 38 more specifically,may be distributed and organized within the interior cavity 66 of thetray 54 by the guide elements 68. The connection interfaces (e.g.,ferrules 42) may then be directed toward the connection region 70 tomake an optical connection between the optical fibers 24 of the subunit22 and the optical fibers 36 of the indoor cables 34, as will now bedescribed in more detail.

FIG. 11 illustrates the optical fibers 24, 36 of the subunit 22 andindoor cable 34, respectively, arranged in ribbons 28, 38 that are eachterminated with a ferrule 42, such as an MT ferrule, as their associatedconnection interface. The subunit 22 may therefore correspond to one ofthe subunits 22 of the pre-terminated trunk cable 110 (FIG. 4). As notedabove, each ribbon 28, 38 may include twelve optical fibers, and eachferrule 42 may terminate one or two of the ribbons 28, 38 (and therebybe configured to couple to twelve or twenty-four optical fibers). Afterthe ribbons 28, 38 are distributed within the tray 54, individualribbons 28, 38 may be directed toward respective bays 78 in theconnection region 70 of the tray 54. From the perspective of FIGS. 9-11,the ribbons 28 from the subunit 22 may generally be arranged along theright side of the tray 54 and the ribbons 38 from the indoor cable 34may generally be arranged along the left side of the tray 54. Otherarrangements, however, may be possible.

The ribbons 28, 38 of the subunit 22 and the indoor cable 34 directed toa particular bay 78 of the connection region 70 may be optically coupledby mating the ferrules 42 of the respective ribbons 28, 38 together. Forexample, in the exemplary embodiment described above, the ferrules 42 ofthe respective ribbons 28, 38 may be male/female and be mated togetherby a spring clip 102, as shown in FIG. 12. The spring clip 102 thatcreates a biasing force to maintain the ferrules 42 in mating engagementwith each other. More specifically, the spring clip 102 is movablebetween an expanded position and a retracted position. In the expandedposition, the spring clip 102 is configured to receive mated ferrules42. By way of example and without limitation, a suitable tool (e.g.,expander tool; not shown) may be provided for expanding the spring clip102 and thereby allow the mated ferrules 42 to be disposed within thespring clip 102. Upon release of the tool, the spring clip 102 will movetoward its retracted position under a spring bias where the spring clip102 engages with the ferrules 42 to urge the mated ferrules 42 towardeach other and resist movements of the ferrules 42 away from each other.For reasons set out below, in an exemplary embodiment, the spring clip102 may be formed from a suitable metal, including by way of exampleiron, nickel, cobalt, and other ferromagnetic metals or alloys, such assteel. The mated ferrules 42 and the spring clip 102 collectively definea connection joint 104 between the ribbons 28, 38. And as can beappreciated, the spring clip 102 effectively serves as an adapter forestablishing optical connections even though the ferrules 42 themselvesmay not be considered to be optical connectors.

Subsequent to the ferrules 42 being mated together and secured with thespring clip 102, the field technician may then secure the connectionjoint 104 to the tray 54, and more particularly secure the connectionjoint 104 to the selected bay 78 in the connection region 70 of the tray54. In one particular aspect of this disclosure, the connection joint104 may be secured within its selected bay 78 using magnetism. In oneembodiment, at least one of the connection plate 72 or the rear supportwalls 74, and preferably both the connection plate 72 and the rearsupport walls 74 are formed from a magnetic material, such as apermanent magnetic material (e.g., rare earth metals). Accordingly, whenthe connection joint 104 is positioned in a respective bay 78, thespring clip 102 will magnetically attach to the connection plate 72and/or the support wall 74 and thereby secure the connection joint 104to the connection region 70 of the tray 54. The strength of the magneticfield may be selected to maintain the connection joint 104 engaged withthe tray 54 during the normal course and usage of the trays 54 andcabinet 32.

It should be understood that the field technician may repeat the processdescribed above for each of the ribbons 28, 38 of the subunit 22 andindoor cable 34, and until each of the bays 78 of the connection region70 are occupied by a connection joint 104. Once the tray 54 is full, thefield technician may re-insert the tray 54 on the tray housing 196 (FIG.7) and select another tray 54 for forming optical connections in themanner described above. This process may continue until each of thetrays 54 in the cabinet 32 have been processed. By way of example, thecabinet 32 may be configured to hold at least twelve trays 54, such thatall of the subunits 22 of the trunk cable 20 may be coupled torespective indoor cables 34 within one cabinet 32. In one embodiment,for example, the cabinet 32 may include twenty-four trays 54 (e.g., toaccommodate two trunk cables 20). However, the cabinet 32 may includemore or less trays 54 in various alternative embodiments.

In the embodiment described above, the connection interfaces associatedwith the subunit 22 and the indoor cable 34 were described as each beingferrules 42 that were directly coupled together using the spring clips102 to make the optical connection. Aspects of the disclosure, however,are not so limited. As mentioned above in connection with FIG. 8, theconnection interfaces that are mated together may be in the form ofmulti-fiber optical connectors, such as MPO connectors (not shown). Itwas also mentioned above that connection interfaces of one cable (e.g.,an indoor cable 34) may an MPO connector, while the connectioninterfaces associated with another cable (e.g., the trunk cable 20) mayonly be MT ferrules. FIG. 13 schematically illustrates such anembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, the ribbons 28 associated with the subunit 22 ofthe trunk cable 20 may be terminated with multi-fiber ferrules 110(e.g., MT ferrules), and the ribbons 38 associated with the indoor cable34 may be terminated with multi-fiber connectors 112 (e.g., MPOconnectors). In such an embodiment, the respective ribbons 28, 38 of thesubunit 22 and the indoor cable 34 may be optically coupled within ahybrid adapter 114, wherein the adapter 114 is configured to receive themulti-fiber ferrule 110 in a first end 116 of the adapter 114 and themulti-fiber connector 112 in a second end 118. The adapter 114 mayinclude a metal portion or interface 120 in the form of a metal strip,plate, or band. The adapter 114 may then be magnetically secured withina bay 78 of the connection region 70 of the tray 54 in a manner similarto that described above.

An alternative embodiment of a distribution tray 254 (“tray 254”) inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure is illustrated in FIGS. 14 and15. The tray 254 includes elements corresponding to those in the tray 54such that the same reference numbers will be used where appropriate. Tothis end, the tray 254 includes an oblong body 56 having a first, inletend 58 and a second, closed end 60 (“distal end 60”). The inlet end 58is configured to receive optical fibers 24 from the trunk cable 20 andoptical fibers 36 from the indoor cables 34 that are configured to beconnected within the tray 54. The distal end 60 helps contain theoptical fibers 24, 36 within the distribution tray 54, and in oneembodiment may be generally arcuate in shape. Again, otherconfigurations are possible.

The tray body 56 defines a base wall 62 and one or more peripheral sidewalls 64 that collectively define an interior cavity 66 for holding theoptical fibers 24, 36. The cavity 66 and/or walls 62, 64 include anumber of organizing and guide elements 68. These may take the form ofvarious flaps, arched walls, bosses, etc. and facilitate the routing ofoptical fibers in the tray 254. Various markings may also be provided onthe base wall 62 (e.g., by way of printing on the base wall 62 orapplying decals to the base wall 62) to suggest routingpatterns/arrangements for the optical fibers, as will be described infurther detail below. Optical fibers are intended to be routed to aconnection region 70, which where optical connections are intended to beestablished (e.g., the optical fibers 24 from the trunk cable 20 beingoptically connected to the optical fibers 36 from the indoor cables 34).

The connection region 70 in the embodiment of FIG. 14 includes aplurality of adapter receivers 256 configured to receive andcouple/secure adapters 44 to the tray body 56. This can be betterunderstood with reference to FIG. 16, which illustrates two of theadapter receivers 256 and an example adapter 44. As described above inconnection with FIG. 8, the adapters 44 are in the form of MPO-typeadapters such that connection interfaces on the cables intended to bemated using the adapters 44 (e.g., the trunk cable 20 and an indoorcable 34 in FIG. 1) may be MPO connectors (not shown). Each adapterreceiver 256 in the embodiment shown is generally in the form of a pairof side walls or arms spaced apart from each other and extendingupwardly from the base wall 62. The side walls or arms includerespective detents/hooks 258. As can be appreciated from FIG. 16, theadapters 44 may be snapped into one of the adapter receivers 256 by hand(i.e., without tools), with the detents/hooks 258 ultimately serving toretain the adapters 44 on the tray body 56. The same is true withrespect to removing the adapters 44 from the tray body 56. That is, theadapters 44 may be removable by hand (i.e., without tools).

The adapter receivers 256 are shaped to hold the adapters 44 on theirsides. More specifically, each adapter 44 has a generally rectangularprofile where a major dimension extending between two sides of theadapter 44 is longer than a minor dimension extending between a top andbottom of the adapter 44. The major dimension is generally associatedwith a width of the adapter 44, whereas the minor dimension is generallyassociated with a height of the adapter 44. The adapter receivers 256are shaped so that, when an adapter 44 is received in an adapterreceiver 256, one of the sides of the adapter 44 faces the base wall 62of the tray body 56. The major dimension of the adapter 44 is orientedvertically, perpendicular to the base wall 62. The minor dimension ofthe adapter 44 is oriented horizontally, parallel to the base wall 62,meaning that the adapters 44 can be placed closer together on the traybody 56. This helps reduce the size of the connection region 70 (FIG.14) so that there can be more room on the tray body 56 for routingoptical fibers without increasing the size of the tray body 56.

Referring back to FIG. 14, it can be seen how the tray 254 has alongitudinal axis L_(A) between the inlet end 58 and the distal end 60.The adapter receivers 256 are distributed in a direction along thelongitudinal axis L_(A) of the tray 254. Thus, the adapters 44 (FIG. 16)are ultimately disposed on the tray body 56 in the same manner (i.e., ina direction along the longitudinal axis L_(A) of the tray 256). Theadapter receivers 256 are also configured so that the adapters 44 aredisposed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis L_(A). Referringto both FIGS. 14 and 16, each adapter includes a first opening 45, asecond opening 47 opposite the first opening 45, and an optical orcentral axis O_(A) extending between the first and second openings 45,47. When the adapters 44 are coupled to the tray 254, the optical axisO_(A) of each adapter 44 is angled about 45 degrees relative to thelongitudinal axis L_(A) of the tray 256. In other embodiments, theoptical axis O_(A) of any adapter 44 may be at a different anglerelative to the longitudinal axis L_(A), such as between about 30degrees and about 60 degrees. All of the adapters 44 may be angled inthe same manner or in different manners. The non-perpendicularorientation of the optical axes O_(A) of an adapter 44 relative to thelongitudinal axis L_(A) of the tray 256 may facilitate routing ofoptical fibers 24, 36, as will be described in greater detail below.

As shown in FIG. 14, the tray 256 also includes at least one tray mountreceiver 260 in a first corner region of the inlet end 58. The traymount receiver 260 is configured to cooperate with a tray mount 262(FIGS. 17-19) for the same reasons as the previous embodiment, i.e. tocouple a subunit 22 to the tray 254. In this embodiment, the tray mount262 may be assembled onto the subunit 22 in the field duringinstallation interconnect system described above. Thus, whereas theexample described above in connection with FIGS. 9-11 involved the traymounts 88 being pre-assembled with subunits 22 of the trunk cable 20, inthis example the tray mounts 262 are “post-assembled” with the subunits22. It will be appreciated that either approach may be possible in someembodiments. Indeed, in this disclosure, general references to traymounts being “assembled” with cables (or portions thereof, e.g.subunits) contemplate pre-assembled tray mounts and post-assembled traymounts. The example involving post-assembly with the tray mount 262 willnow be described in further detail.

As shown in FIGS. 17-19, the tray mount 262 includes a base 264 thatdefines the interface for cooperating with the tray mount receiver 260.The tray mount 262 also includes and a guide member 266 for receivingand directing optical fibers. The guide member 266 in the embodimentshown is in the form of a clamshell tube. FIG. 18 illustrates the guidemember 266 in a closed position, while FIG. 19 illustrates the guidemember 266 in an open position. Thus, the guide member 266 is movablebetween a closed position and an open position. At least one fastener268 is provided in the embodiment shown to selectively retain the guidemember 266 in the closed position. Specifically, the embodiment shownincludes the fastener 268 in the form of a hook or latch that engages acorresponding latching feature 270 when the guide member 266 is movedinto the closed position. The engagement may be releasable by atechnician when it is desired to move the guide member 266 back to theopen position. Other embodiments may involve guide members having adifferent arrangement/structure, including embodiments of guide membersthat do not need to move between open and closed positions to receiveoptical fibers.

FIG. 20 illustrates the optical fibers 24 of a subunit 22 beingpositioned in the guide member 266 when the guide member 266 is in theopen position. The end of the subunit jacket 30 is spaced from the guidemember 266 such that it is the exposed ribbons 28 being placed in theguide member 266. In alternative embodiments, the guide member 266 mayreceive optical fibers in a cabled form (i.e., carried within aprotective sheath/jacket). As schematically shown in FIG. 21, the guidemember 266 may be closed to circumferentially contain the optical fibers24/ribbons 28. The guide member 266 therefore protects the portions ofthe optical fibers 24/ribbons 28 upon which the guide member 266 isreceived. And even though the optical fibers 24/ribbons 28 may beloosely contained in the guide member 266, the closed nature of theguide member 266 effectively couples the tray mount 262 to the subunit22.

Once the tray mount 262 is assembled on the subunit 22, the tray mount262 may be secured to the tray mount receiver 260. This may not requireany tools, as the interface defined by the base 264 of the tray mount262 may be configured to be snapped into or otherwise selectivelyengaged with the tray mount receiver 260 by hand. Thus, with the traymount 262 coupled to the subunit 22 and selectively engaged with thetray mount receiver 260, the tray mount 262 couples the subunit to thetray 254. The optical fibers 24/ribbons 28 can then be routed in thetray 254 to establish interconnections.

To this end, FIG. 22 schematically illustrates one of the trays 254being used to establish interconnections between a subunit 22 of thetrunk cable 20 and one of the indoor cables 34. The adapters 44 areshown as being positioned in the adapter receivers 256. For conveniencegiven the schematic nature of the figure, the dust plugs 46 are stillshown and the connection interfaces of the trunk cable 20 and indoorcable 24 are not shown. Additionally, the tray mounts 262 (FIGS. 17-21)are not shown. FIG. 22 intended to illustrate routing patterns ratherthan the details of the connection joints or details of securing cablesto the tray 254. To this end, as shown in FIG. 22, the optical fibers 24of the subunit 22 extend from the inlet end 58 to the distal end 60,curve at the distal end 60 so as to extend back toward the inlet end 58,form a loop to extend back toward the distal end 60, and then curve backtoward the inlet end 58 before extending to a corresponding adapter 44.The angled orientation of the adapters 44 helps limit the amount theoptical fibers 24 must further bend as they extend to the correspondingadapter 44, thereby helping the optical fibers 24 avoid a bend radiusthat might otherwise cause unacceptable attenuation or damage. Theangled orientation of that adapters 44 also helps limit the amount theoptical fibers 36 of the indoor cable 34 bend before exiting the tray254. A routing clip 272 may be provided at the inlet end 58 in a secondcorner region opposite the tray mount receiver 260 to assist withrouting/organizing the optical fibers 36.

In the various examples described above, the pre-termination of thetrunk cables 20 and the indoor cables 34 with connection interfaces, incombination with the relatively easy and quick mating of the connectioninterfaces, significantly decreases the time and cost associated withinterconnecting the main building 12 and the auxiliary building(s) 14 ofthe data center 10. This provides a distinctive advantage in the designand construction of large-scale data centers 10. Additionally, and asdescribed above, the subunits 22 of the trunk cables 20 and the indoorcables 34 may have an assembled tray mount (e.g., pre-assembled traymount 88 or post-assembled tray mount 262) for attaching the subunits 22and indoor cables 34 to tray mount receivers on the trays. Theattachment afforded by the tray mounts/tray mount receivers provides apositive connection with the trays without any significant degradationin the optical signals carried by the optical fibers 24, 36 of thesubunits 22 and indoor cables 34. The tray mounts may also help protectthe optical fibers where they enter the tray.

The are many other alternatives and variations that will be appreciatedby persons skilled in optical connectivity without departing from thespirit or scope of this disclosure. This includes combining orsubstituting features from the various example embodiments in thisdisclosure. For example, the tray 254 (FIG. 14) may alternatively beconfigured to include bays for receiving spring clips (similar to thetray 54; FIGS. 9-11) instead of having the adapter receivers 256 forreceiving the adapters 44. And instead of a routing clip 272 to assistwith routing/organizing the optical fibers 36 of the indoor cables 34,the tray 254 may include additional tray mount receivers 260 so that thetray mounts 262 can also be used for the indoor cables 34 (similar tothe tray 54 and its tray mount receivers 94). Conversely, the tray 54may alternatively be configured to have the same configuration of traymount receivers as the tray 254. Again, these and other variations areunderstood as being part of this disclosure by persons skilled inoptical connectivity. The invention should be construed to includeeverything within the scope of the claims below and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing connections for opticalfibers that extend from a cable, the system comprising: a tray thatincludes a body having at least one tray mount receiver; and a traymount comprising a base that defines an interface for cooperating withthe at least one tray mount receiver, wherein the tray mount alsocomprises a clamshell tube configured to receive the optical fibers,wherein the clamshell tube is movable between an open position and aclosed position, and wherein the tray mount is configured couple theoptical fibers to the tray without additional tools.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the body of the tray further includes a base wall, oneor more peripheral side walls that collectively define an interiorcavity, an inlet end that has the at least one tray mount receiver, adistal end opposite the inlet end, and a connection region between theinlet end and the distal end.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the atleast one tray mount receiver is located in a first corner region of theinlet end of the body of the tray.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein thetray further includes a routing clip in a second corner region of theinlet end that is opposite the at least one tray mount receiver.
 5. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the tray further comprises: a plurality ofadapters disposed on the body, wherein the plurality of adapters arelocated within the interior cavity and over the connection region andare arranged adjacent to each other in a direction along a longitudinalaxis that extends between the inlet end and the distal end of the body.6. The system of claim 5, wherein each adapter of the plurality ofadapters includes a first opening, a second opening opposite the firstopening, and an optical axis extending between the first opening and thesecond opening, and wherein the optical axis is non-perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the tray.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein eachadapter of the plurality of adapters includes a first opening, a secondopening opposite the first opening, and an optical axis extendingbetween the first opening and the second opening, and wherein theoptical axis is angled between 30-60 degrees relative to thelongitudinal axis of the tray.
 8. The system of claim 5, wherein eachadapter of the plurality of adapters includes a first opening, a secondopening opposite the first opening, and an optical axis extendingbetween the first opening and the second opening, and wherein theoptical axis is angled about 45 degrees relative to the longitudinalaxis of the tray.
 9. A system for managing connections for opticalfibers that extend from a cable, wherein the optical fibers are thesystem comprising: a cabinet for receiving the end of the cable; aplurality of trays disposed within the cabinet, wherein each tray of theplurality of trays includes a body having at least one tray mountreceiver; and a plurality of tray mounts each comprising a base thatdefines an interface for cooperating with the at least one tray mountreceiver, wherein each tray mount of the plurality of tray mounts alsocomprises a clamshell tube configured to receive some of the opticalfibers, wherein the clamshell tube is movable between an open positionand a closed position, and wherein each tray mount of the plurality oftray mounts is configured couple some of the optical fibers to the traywithout additional tools.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein for eachtray of the plurality of trays the body further includes a base wall,one or more peripheral side walls that collectively define an interiorcavity, an inlet end that has the at least one tray mount receiver, adistal end opposite the inlet end, and a connection region between theinlet end and the distal end.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein foreach tray of the plurality of trays the at least one tray mount receiveris located in a first corner region of the inlet end of the body of thetray.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein for each tray of the pluralityof trays the tray further includes a routing clip in a second cornerregion of the inlet end that is opposite the at least one tray mountreceiver.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein each tray of the pluralityof trays further comprises: a plurality of adapters disposed on thebody, wherein the plurality of adapters are located within the interiorcavity and over the connection region and are arranged adjacent to eachother in a direction along a longitudinal axis that extends between theinlet end and the distal end of the body.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein each adapter of the plurality of adapters includes a firstopening, a second opening opposite the first opening, and an opticalaxis extending between the first opening and the second opening, andwherein the optical axis is non-perpendicular to the longitudinal axisof the tray on which the adapter is disposed.
 15. The system of claim13, wherein each adapter of the plurality of adapters includes a firstopening, a second opening opposite the first opening, and an opticalaxis extending between the first opening and the second opening, andwherein the optical axis is angled between 30-60 degrees relative to thelongitudinal axis of the tray on which the adapter is disposed.
 16. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein each adapter of the plurality of adaptersincludes a first opening, a second opening opposite the first opening,and an optical axis extending between the first opening and the secondopening, and wherein the optical axis is angled about 45 degreesrelative to the longitudinal axis of the tray on which the adapter isdisposed.
 17. A method of managing connections for optical fibers thatextend from a cable, the method comprising: routing some of the opticalfibers to a tray that includes a body having at least one tray mountreceiver; assembling a tray mount onto at least some of the opticalfibers, wherein the tray mount comprises a base that defines aninterface for cooperating with the at least one tray mount receiver, andwherein the assembling comprises: receiving the at least some of theoptical fibers in a clamshell tube of the tray mount when the clamshelltube is in an open position; and moving the clamshell tube to a closedposition; and using the tray mount to couple the at least some of theoptical fibers to the tray without additional tools.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the at least some of the optical fibers are notcovered by a jacket when received in the clamshell tube.